Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries, paying for things using mobile phone (cellphone) apps is becoming increasingly common. Does this development have more advantages or more disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The use of cellphone apps as means of payment in numerous countries is becoming popular. This development has more benefits as it is an easy and safe mode of payment.

Firstly, making payments with mobile apps is easy, as people can buying anything, at anytime without being physically present at the shop or business premises of the seller. People in America can buy cars from China, at the comfort of their homes in America, without the stress of travelling across continent. People can easily shop wherever they are without the stress of going to th3 bank to withdraw cash for payment.

Furthermore, it is safer to use mobile apps for payments as people do not need to carry cash with them, no matter how small or many. This has help to reduce thr occurrence of people misplacing money or money going missing. Also it reduces incidences of theft. Since people do not have to take cash with them, there will be no situation of robbery. The use of mobile apps is extremely safe.

The disadvantages of the use of mobile apps as means of payment is the unavailability of mobile network and the mobile phone itself being dead due to low batteries. This can cause people to become stranded when they do not have immediate access to the Internet or electricity to charge the phones.

In conclusion, the use of mobile phone apps as means of payments in a lot of countries is becoming popular due to it being easy and safe to use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages, ultimately taking a clear position. The ideas are relevant, such as the convenience of remote shopping and the security benefits of cashless transactions. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For example, the argument regarding the disadvantages is quite brief and lacks depth. While the position is clear, the essay would benefit from more detailed examples or a more nuanced exploration of the trade-offs between convenience and the risks mentioned. Overall, it covers all parts of the task but remains somewhat superficial in its analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, though some transitions feel a bit abrupt. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow, which supports the overall coherence of the piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'business premises' and 'incidences of theft', but the range is somewhat limited. There are also a few minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'th3' (a typo) and 'thr' (a typo), as well as 'no matter how small or many', which is slightly awkward phrasing. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'people can buying' (should be 'can buy'), 'This has help' (should be 'has helped'), and 'there will be no situation of robbery' (unnatural phrasing). While the meaning remains clear, these errors occur frequently enough to be noticeable. The control of punctuation is generally good, but the grammatical inaccuracies suggest a need for more practice with verb forms and sentence construction to achieve a higher level of accuracy.

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